Entryway system using proximity-based short-range wireless links

ABSTRACT

An entryway system includes a door entry system ( 130 ) located near an entry door ( 320 ), and a personal presence identifier ( 122 ) carried by a guest and coupled to the door entry system by a short-range wireless link ( 26 ). The door entry system and the personal presence identifier are arranged and programmed to establish a personal area network with one another when the personal presence identifier is within wireless transmission range of the door entry system. The door entry system is also programmed to determine ( 80 ) whether further communications with the personal presence identifier are authorized. The personal presence identifier and the door entry system are also arranged and programmed to exchange ( 82 ) needs specifications and capability specifications with one another after the door entry system has determined that further communications with the personal presence identifier are authorized.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.09/104,631, filed Jun. 25, 1998, by Borgstahl et al., entitled“CAPABILITY ADDRESSABLE NETWORK AND METHOD THEREFOR,” which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/729,207, filed Oct.15, 1996, by Borgstahl et al., entitled “CAPABILITY ADDRESSABLE NETWORKAND METHOD THEREFOR,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,069,896 is hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to data communication networks.More specifically, the present invention relates to an entryway systemusing proximity-based short-range wireless links.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a typical day many people come into contact with a massive number ofelectronically controlled devices. Such devices range from automobilesand appliances, to home and office equipment, and to telephones andtelevisions to name but a few. Many of these devices are required tomove from time to time, and many of these devices are even portable.These devices provide a vast and diverse assortment of services for thepeople coming into contact with them. However, they suffer from a commonproblem related to user input and output (I/O).

User I/O refers to components and processes used to communicateuser-supplied data to an electronic device and to annunciate data froman electronic device so the data may be perceived by a user. Althoughelectronic devices provide a vast and diverse assortment of services,they tend to have redundant I/O. In other words, many such devices havedisplays, speakers, and the like at which data may be annunciated andhave buttons, switches, keypads, and other controls at whichuser-supplied data may be communicated to the devices. In order to keepcosts low and size small, user I/O capabilities often suffer. As aresult, many electronic devices encountered in everyday life, andparticularly many portable devices, are cumbersome and tedious to usebecause communicating data from a user to the devices is difficult andbecause provisions are unavailable for clearly annunciating data for auser's benefit.

In theory, this user I/O problem could be ameliorated by betterintegrating electronic devices to ease data communications therebetween.For example, a portable telephone could receive a facsimile (fax), buttypically has no capability to print the fax and no capability tocommunicate with a printer which may be able to print the fax. Likewise,a pager may receive a call-back phone number, but typical pagers have nocapability to transfer the call-back number to a telephone from whichthe call-back can be made. User involvement is required to address theseand many other data transfer issues. While many conventional datacommunication or computer network architectures are known, theconventional architectures are unsuitable for the task of integrating aplurality of electronic devices which collectively provide a vast anddiverse assortment of services.

Conventional computer networks require excessively complicated setup oractivation procedures. Such setup and activation procedures make thejobs of forming a connection to a new network node and making changes inconnectibility permission cumbersome at best. Setup and activationprocedures are instituted, at least in part, to maintain control ofsecurity and to define network addresses. Typically, a systemadministration level of security clearance is required before access isgranted to network tables that define the network addresses. Thus, inconventional networks, many network users lack sufficient securityclearance to activate and obtain addresses of network nodes with whichthey may wish to connect on their own.

Once setup is performed, either directly by a user or by a systemadministrator, connections are formed when an initiating node presentsthe network with the address of a network node to which a connection isdesired. The setup or activation requirements of conventional networksforce nodes to know or obtain a priori knowledge of node addresses withwhich they wish to connect prior to making the connection. Excessiveuser attention is involved in making the connection through setupprocedures and during the instant of connection to obtain addresses.This level of user involvement leads to an impractical networkimplementation between the everyday electronic devices with which peoplecome into contact.

Further, conventional computer networks tend to be infrastructureintensive. The infrastructure includes wiring, servers, base stations,hubs, and other devices which are dedicated to network use but have nosubstantial non-network use to the computers they interconnect. The useof extensive network components is undesirable for a networkimplementation between everyday electronic devices because an immenseexpense would be involved to support such an infrastructure and becauseit impedes portability and movability of nodes.

The use of wiring to interconnect network nodes is a particularlyoffensive impediment to the use of conventional networks because wiringbetween diverse nodes is not suitable when some of the nodes areportable. Wireless communication links could theoretically solve thewiring problem. And, conventional wireless data communication networksare known. However, the conventional wireless networks do little morethan replace wire lines with wireless communication links. An excessiveamount of infrastructure and excessive user involvement in setupprocedures are still required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention may be derived byreferring to the detailed description and claims when considered inconnection with the Figures, wherein like reference numbers refer tosimilar items throughout the Figures, and:

FIG. 1 shows a layout diagram depicting relationships between variouspeers in a wireless peer-to-peer data communication network configuredin accordance with the teaching of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of hardware included in a peer;

FIG. 3 shows a list of appliance circuits which may be included in thehardware illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a list of relay interfaces which may be included in thehardware illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 shows a list of I/O devices which may be included in the hardwareillustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of tasks included in a capability addressableconnection process performed by a peer;

FIG. 7 shows a data format diagram of an exemplary need/capabilitymessage communicated from a peer to initiate a setup connection;

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary need table which identifies possible networkservice needs which might occur at a peer;

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary capability table which identifies possiblenetwork capabilities which may be provided by a peer;

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart of a process service connection procedureperformed at a peer;

FIG. 11 shows a flow chart of tasks included in a capability addressableconnection process for initiating communications between peers;

FIG. 12 illustrates a first example whereby the capability addressableconnection process establishes communications between a computer and apersonal presence identifier;

FIG. 13 illustrates a second example whereby the capability addressableconnection process establishes communications between a doorbell and thepersonal presence identifier;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an entryway system inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a process flow diagram for the entryway system in accordancewith the present invention; and

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a layout diagram depicting relationships between variouspeers (P) 20 in a capability addressable, wireless, peer-to-peer datacommunication network 22 configured in accordance with the teaching ofthe present invention. While FIG. 1 shows only a few peers 20, virtuallyany computer or microprocessor controlled electronic device throughoutthe world may serve as a peer 20. Accordingly, network 22 supports anunfathomable number of possible connections between peers 20.

As used herein, the term “peer-to-peer” is defined to mean having atleast common portions of communications protocol and/or capability anddoes not refer to equivalence of physical size, functional capability,data processing capacity or transmitter/receiver range or power. Eachpeer or communication node 20 of communications network 22 may establisha personal area network. For example, a first and a second of nodes 20first find or determine that each other is a compatible node. Then, as aresult of self-initiated processes, first and second nodes 20 form thepersonal network. First and second nodes 20 must detect that they are ina particular proximity to one another and if so a communication link isestablished. This link may be accomplished by known RF techniques. Whena link is established, first and second nodes 20 exchange what theirneeds and capabilities are. When needs and capabilities are not able tobe satisfied or matched, one of first and second nodes 20 mayalternately route the communications link to a third communication node20. Put another way, a communications platform that includes at leasttwo nodes having overlapping communications regions could also includemeans for exchanging needs and capabilities information between the atleast two nodes for forming a communication network.

Network 22 is desirably configured in a peer-to-peer architecture sothat only a trivial amount of network-specific components are used. Inthe preferred embodiments, each peer 20 can initiate a connection withother peers 20 without servers being required to manage the connections.Moreover, peers 20 can freely move about, as indicated by directionarrows 24 in FIG. 1, without affecting the network structure orrequiring the performance of reconfiguration, setup, or activationprocedures.

Free movement of peers 20 is further supported by using wirelesscommunication links 26 as a physical transport layer in network 22. Inthe preferred embodiments, wireless communication links 26 are RF linksoperating in the higher regions of the microwave band so that small,lightweight, inexpensive, omni-directional antennas may be used.However, other RF frequencies, optical links, and other wirelesscommunication links known to those skilled in the art may be used aswell. The specific protocols used in implementing wireless communicationlinks 26 are not important to the present invention. Various TDMA, FDMA,and/or CDMA techniques known to those skilled in the art may beemployed. However, all peers 20 in network 22 desirably have the abilityto communicate using the protocols, regardless of the capabilities andneeds of the peers 20.

FIG. 1 depicts a detection zone 28 surrounding each peer 20. In thepreferred embodiments, wireless communication links 26 for the vastmajority of peers 20 are operated at a sufficiently low power so that awireless communication range for a given peer 20 is limited to beingless than 50 meters, and more preferably to being less than about 5meters for the typical peer 20. The use of this degree of low powertransmissions limits interference between independent connections whichmay share the wireless spectrum at different locations. Moreover, theuse of this degree of low power transmissions is compatible withconfiguring a substantial portion of peers 20 as portable devices. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that hand-portable electronic devicesshare the characteristics of being physically small, lightweight, andincluding a self-contained power source such as a battery. Extremely lowpower transmissions do not severely deplete the reserves of smallbatteries typically used in portable devices.

While a peer 20 may potentially connect through network 22 with a vastmultitude of peers 20, the use of low power wireless communication links26 limits the number of potential connections at any given instant intime to those peers 20 which are physically proximate to one another. Inother words, only when a first peer 20 resides in the detection zone 28of a second peer 20 and that second peer 20 resides in the detectionzone 28 of the first peer 20 can a connection through network 22 occur.

Rather than specifying a network unique address to initiate aconnection, network 22 uses physical proximity along with a needs andcapabilities evaluation (discussed below) to target a peer 20 with whicha connection is desired. By not specifying a network unique address toinitiate a connection, user involvement in making connections is reducedand network addressing becomes dynamically configurable. Such anaddressing scheme is useful in exchanging data between devices a usercarries and comes into contact with on a daily basis.

Not all peers 20 are required to be portable devices. FIG. 1 shows awireline communication link 30 connecting a peer 20′ to a publicswitched telecommunication network (PSTN) 32. Through PSTN 32, peer 20′may communicate with a vast assortment of remote devices 34, of whichFIG. 1 shows only one. Peer 20′ may be powered from a public powernetwork (not shown) so that minimizing power consumption is not asignificant design issue. While FIG. 1 depicts only PSTN 32 linking apeer 20 to a remote device 34, other local area network (LAN), wide areanetwork (WAN) or communication links known to those skilled in the artmay connect a peer 20 to remote devices 34. Remote devices 34 may or maynot themselves be peers 20. While network 22 uses proximity as a factorin targeting peers 20 to which connections are formed, the use ofrouting, gateway or relaying peers 20′ permits connections to beextended over great distances through the use of other networks.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of hardware included in a peer 20. Peer 20includes an antenna 36 configured to support wireless communication link26. Antenna 36 couples to a transmit and receive section 38. Transmitand receive section 38 is compatible with the protocols peers 20 use tocommunicate with one another. Transmit and receive section 38 couples toa processor 40. Processor 40 couples to a memory 42, an optional relayinterface 44, an optional I/O section 46, and optional appliancecircuits 48.

Processor 40 executes computer programs 50 which are stored in memory42. Computer programs 50 define processes performed by processor 40 andpeer 20. Memory 42 additionally stores personalization data 52 andapplication data 54. Personalization data 52 characterize a user orowner of peer 20 and may change from user to user. ID codes, passwords,and PINs are examples of personalization data as are radio or TV channelpresets, language preferences, and speed dial telephone numbers.Application data 54 are provided by performing peer applications, andmay change from moment to moment. A facsimile, a telephone numberreceived over a pager, data scanned in using a bar code reader, and asound snippet received from a microphone or other audio source representexamples of application data.

FIG. 3 shows a non-exhaustive list of examples of appliance circuits 48which may be included in a peer 20. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3,appliance circuits 48 may be configured as any type of a wide variety ofeveryday, commonly encountered electronically controlled devices. Thus,a peer 20 may, in addition to being a peer 20, be a personal digitalassistant (PDA), smartcard, television, radio, CD player, tape player,copier, facsimile machine, telephone, cellular telephone, cordlesstelephone, pager, watch, computer, point of sale (POS) terminal,automated teller, or other electronic device.

FIG. 4 shows a non-exhaustive list of relay interfaces 44 which may beincluded in a peer 20. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, relay circuits 44 maybe configured as any of a wide variety of relay, routing, or gatewaydevices known to those skilled in the art. For example, a peer 20 may,in addition to being a peer 20, be a modem which couples peer 20 to PSTN32 (see FIG. 1). Other relay interfaces 44 may couple a peer 20 to LANsor WANs. Still other relay interfaces 44 may couple a peer 20 modem to asatellite, a peer 20 cell phone to PSTN 32, a plain old telephone (POT)peer 20 to PSTN 32, or a peer 20 to another peer 20.

FIG. 5 shows a non-exhaustive list of I/O devices 46 which may beincluded in a peer 20. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, I/O devices 46 may beclassified into input devices and output devices. Input devices mayinclude keyboards, pointing devices, optical scanners, microphones, andother well known input devices. Output devices may include printers,monitors, speakers, and other well known output devices. Thus, inaddition to being a peer 20, a peer 20 may be an I/O device 46.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that relay interface section44, I/O section 46 and appliance circuits 48 are not mutually exclusivecategories. For example, many devices fall into multiple categories. Forexample, a computer considered as an appliance may include both an I/Osection and a relay interface. Likewise, a relay interface may serve anI/O role.

FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of tasks included in a capability addressableconnection process 56 performed by a peer 20. Process 56 is defined by acomputer program 50 stored in memory 42 of peer 20 (see FIG. 2) in amanner well known to those skilled in the art. In the preferredembodiments, all peers 20 perform a process similar to process 56.Process 56 includes a query task 58 during which peer 20 determineswhether a setup connection is being attempted. Generally, task 58 allowsa first peer 20 to determine whether a second peer 20 is physicallyproximate to the first peer 20. Task 58 causes transmit and receivesection 38 (see FIG. 2) to monitor wireless communication link 26 (seeFIG. 1) to determine whether a signal compatible with a protocol beingused by network 22 (see FIG. 1) can be received. Due to theabove-described low transmission power levels used by peers 20, when asignal is detected, the peer 20 sending the signal is located near thereceiving peer 20.

When task 58 fails to determine that a setup connection is beingattempted, a query task 60 determines whether a connection-seeking eventhas occurred. A connection-seeking event causes a peer 20 to seek out aconnection with another peer 20. Connection-seeking events can betriggered using a periodic schedule. For example, connections may besought out every few seconds. In this example, the schedule may call formore frequent periodic connection attempts from peers 20 which arepowered from a public power network and less frequent connectionattempts from peers 20 which are battery powered. Connection-seekingevents can also be triggered upon the expiration of a timer or upon thereceipt of other external information. The other external informationcan include information obtained through appliance circuits 48, relayinterface 44, or I/O section 46 (see FIG. 2) including user input.

If task 60 fails to determine that a connection-seeking event hasoccurred, program control loops back to task 58. If task 60 determinesthat a connection-seeking event has occurred, process 56 performs a task62. Task 62 initiates an unsolicited setup connection. The setupconnection is not addressed to any particular peer 20 of network 22.Rather, it is broadcast from the peer 20 making the attempt and will bereceived by all peers 20 within the detection zone 28 (see FIG. 1) ofthe broadcasting peer 20. As discussed below, the broadcast signal neednot be answered by another peer 20 even when another peer 20 is indetection zone 28. At this point, the broadcasting peer 20 does not knowif any other peer 20 can receive the broadcast signal, and thebroadcasting peer 20 does not know any particular needs or capabilitiesof other peers 20 should other peers 20 be sufficiently proximate sothat a connection may be formed.

Task 62 initiates a setup connection by broadcasting a need/capabilitymessage 64, an exemplary format for which is depicted in FIG. 7.Referring to FIG. 7, message 64 includes an ID 66 for the peer 20broadcasting message 64, an authorization key 68, a need specification70, a capability specification 72, and can include other data elements.ID 66 is desirably sufficiently unique within the domain of network 22so that it may be used in an addressed service connection, should thesetup connection prove successful. Authorization key 68 includes one ormore data codes which may be used by a receiving peer 20 in performingan authorization process. Needs specification 70 is a list of networkneeds currently experienced by the broadcasting peer 20. Capabilityspecification 72 is a list of network capabilities which thebroadcasting peer 20 may provide to other peers 20 of network 22.

Needs specification 70 may be determined by consulting a need table 74,an exemplary and non-exhaustive block diagram of which is depicted inFIG. 8. As illustrated in FIG. 8, data codes may be associated with avariety of network service needs which a service-requesting peer 20 mayexperience.

One exemplary need is that of appliance personalization. In theappliance personalization need example, a PDA might need to personalizenearby appliances. To satisfy this need, personalization data 52 (seeFIG. 2) should be programmed into certain nearby appliances without userintervention. As a result, the certain appliances will always beprogrammed with a particular user's personalization data whenever thatuser is near, without requiring action on the user's part, andregardless of prior persons who may have used the appliance.

Other exemplary needs can include that of printing application data 54(see FIG. 2), displaying application data 54, annunciating applicationdata 54 at a speaker, routing connectivity to the Internet or othernetwork resources, POS transactions, passage through secure areas ortoll booths, and the like.

Capability specification 72 may be determined by consulting a capabilitytable 76, an exemplary and non-exhaustive block diagram of which isdepicted in FIG. 9. As illustrated in FIG. 9, data codes may beassociated with a variety of network capabilities provided by aservice-providing peer 20. For example, a service-providing peer 20capability can be that of appliance personalization. Thus, a peer 20 maybe capable of being personalized by personalization data 52 (see FIG.2). Other examples include capabilities of printing, displaying,annunciating over a speaker, relaying a connection through the Internetor other network, POS terminal, and unlocking a secured passageway, toname a few. In general, potential capabilities are compatible withpotential needs.

Referring back to FIG. 7, need/capability message 64 includes thosecodes from tables 74 and 76 (see FIGS. 8-9) that currently apply. Whilea peer 20 may have more than one need or capability at a given instant,nothing requires a peer 20 to have multiple needs or capabilities.Moreover, nothing requires a peer 20 to have both a network need and anetwork capability. Message 64 serves as a need message if a networkneed is specified regardless of whether a network capability isspecified and as a capability message if a network capability isspecified regardless of whether a network need is specified.

Referring back to FIG. 6, after task 62 broadcasts message 64 (see FIG.7), program control loops back to task 58. When task 58 eventuallydetects that a setup connection is being attempted by receiving amessage 64, a task 78 performs an authorization process. Task 78 usesauthorization key 68 (see FIG. 7) from message 64 to determine if thepeer 20 attempting to setup a connection is authorized to connect to thereceiving peer 20. Task 78 allows an owner of a peer 20 to restrictaccess to the owned peer 20 through network 22. The authorizationprocess of task 78 may be used, for example, to restrict personalizationcapabilities of an appliance to a small family group. Alternatively, apeer 20 having a POS capability may perform an extensive authorizationprocess before permitting a transaction to take place. A peer 20 havinga need may also qualify the receipt of provided services depending uponthe authorization process provided by task 78.

After task 78, a query task 80 determines whether the authorizationprocess authorized the attempted setup connection. If authorization isdenied, program control loops back to task 60. The receiving peer 20need not reply or otherwise acknowledge the attempted setup connection.

If authorization is accepted, a task 82 evaluates peer needs with peercapabilities. In other words, task 82 causes the message-receiving peerto compare its available capabilities (if any) to any needs listed in areceived unsolicited need/capability message 64 (see FIG. 7) and tocompare its available needs (if any) to any capabilities listed in themessage 64. After task 82, a query task 84 acts upon the result of theevaluation of task 82. If no internal capabilities match needs indicatedin an unsolicited message 64, and if no internal needs matchcapabilities indicated in an unsolicited message 64, then neither peer20 can be of service to the other. Program control loops back to task60, and the receiving peer 20 need not reply or otherwise acknowledgethe attempted setup connection.

At this point, the vast multitude of potential connections which a peer20 may make within network 22 has been greatly reduced in scope withoutthe use of network-unique addressing. The low power transmission schemeexcludes most peers 20 in network 22 from being connectable at a currentinstant because most peers 20 will not be proximate one another. Of thefew peers 20 which may be within each other's detection zones 28 (seeFIG. 1), the scope of potential connections has been further limitedthrough the authorization process of task 78 and needs and capabilitiesevaluation of task 82. Additional exclusions on the remaining potentialconnections are performed through a negotiation process carried onbetween a service-requesting peer 20 and a service-providing peer 20.

When task 84 determines that capabilities and needs appear to becompatible, a query task 86 determines whether this negotiation processis complete. If the negotiation process is not complete, a task 88establishes or otherwise continues the setup connection in furtheranceof the negotiation process by sending an addressed negotiation message(not shown) to the peer 20 whose peer ID 66 (see FIG. 7) was included ina just-received needs/capabilities message 64. The negotiation messagecan have a form similar to that of needs/capabilities message 64, but bespecifically addressed to the other peer 20.

After task 88, program control loops back to task 60. Subsequentnegotiation messages may, but need not, be received. If such subsequentnegotiation messages indicate that both peers 20 to the prospectiveconnection have completed negotiation, a query task 90 determineswhether the negotiation was successful. If the negotiation was notsuccessful, program control loops back to task 58, and no serviceconnection will result. However, if the negotiation was successful, aprocess service connection procedure 92 is performed. During procedure92, a one-to-one, addressed connection is established between peers 20to perform network services. Upon completion of the service connection,program flow loops back to task 58.

While nothing prevents capability addressable connection process 56 fromrelying upon user intervention during the setup connection process, userintervention is not required. Whether user intervention is required ornot should depend upon the security and other considerations connectedwith the nature of the peers 20 involved. For example, peers 20 involvedin financial transactions can benefit upon user intervention to ensuresecurity. However, personalization of user-owned appliances and manyother connection scenarios need not rely on user intervention.

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart of process service connection procedure 92.Procedure 92 illustrates a collection of tasks which can be performed ata service-providing peer 20 in support of a service connection. Not allpeers 20 need to be able to perform all the tasks depicted in FIG. 10.Likewise, many peers 20 may include other tasks which suit the nature ofthose particular peers 20.

Procedure 92 performs a task 94 to provide a network relay, router, orgateway capability for a service-receiving peer 20 of network 22 throughan established service connection. During task 94, a service-providingpeer 20 relays data communications between the connected peer 20 and aremote device 34 (see FIG. 1). After task 94, program flow returns toprocess 56 (see FIG. 6). Task 94 may be used to extend the serviceconnection to the Internet or other network.

Procedure 92 performs tasks 96 and 98 to provide a user input capabilityfor a service-receiving peer 20 of network 22 through an establishedservice connection. During task 96, the service-providing peer 20collects user input from its I/O section 46 (see FIG. 2). During task98, the service-providing peer 20 sends the collected user input data tothe connected service-receiving peer 20. After task 98, program flowreturns. Tasks 96 and 98 may be used to control or program appliancesfrom a PDA or other device which may have enhanced user inputcapabilities.

Procedure 92 performs a task 100 to provide a user output capability fora service-receiving peer 20 of network 22 through an established serviceconnection. During task 100, the service-providing peer 20 receives datagenerated from the service-receiving peer 20 over the service connectionand annunciates the data at an output device in its I/O section 46 (seeFIG. 2). The data may be annunciated in an audibly or visiblyperceivable format or in any other format perceivable by human senses.After task 100, program flow returns. Task 100 may be used to annunciatedata collected in a portable peer 20 at a non-portable annunciatingdevice. Alternatively, task 100 may be used to annunciate data generatedby a stationary appliance with limited I/O capability at a portableannunciating device.

Procedure 92 performs a control appliance process 102 to support thecontrolling of appliances. Tasks 104, 106, and 108 of process 102 areperformed to program an appliance peer 20 with personalization data 52(see FIG. 2). During task 104, a service-providing peer 20 getspersonalization data 52 from the connected, service-receiving peer 20using the service connection. Next, task 106 translates the networkcompatible personalization data 52 into a format suitable for thespecific appliance to be programmed with personalization data 52. Itshould be noted that not all personalization data 52 available in aservice-receiving peer 20 needs to be applicable to all appliances.Thus, task 106 can use as much of personalization data 52 as applies tothe specific appliance. After task 106, task 108 causes the appliance tobe programmed with the translated personalization data 52. After task108, program flow returns.

Tasks 110, 112, 114, and 116 of process 102 are performed to allow auser to easily control an appliance. These tasks can be performed on aPDA, for example, which has a display and user input capabilityexceeding the user I/O capabilities typically found on appliances. Inthis case, an appliance is a service-receiving peer 20 while the PDA isa service-providing peer 20. During task 110, the service-receiving peer20 uploads an appliance control computer program to the connectedservice-providing peer using the service connection. Next, during task112 the service-providing peer 20 executes the just-uploaded computerprogram. Task 112 causes the service-providing peer 20 to becomespecifically configured to provide a desirable user interface for thespecific appliance being controlled. Next, during task 114 control dataare received at the service-receiving peer 20 over the serviceconnection. The control data originated from user input supplied throughthe control computer program being executed on the service-providingpeer 20. After task 114, task 116 controls the subject appliance inaccordance with the control data received in task 114. After task 116,program flow returns.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart providing further detail of the capabilityaddressable coupling process as shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 11 illustrates amethod of initiating a communication link between first and secondelectronic devices or first and second peers 20. Referring briefly toFIGS. 1, 2, and 6, task 58 causes transmit and receive section 38 tomonitor wireless communication link 26 to determine whether a signalcompatible with a protocol being used by network 22 can be received. Inparticular, task 58 of FIG. 11 indicates that a setup connection orcoupling process in transmitting a beacon message from a first peer 20is received by a second peer 20. The beacon message transmitted by thefirst peer 20 is an unsolicited message that is broadcast to anylistening electronic device. The type of information transmitted in thebeacon message is not a limitation of the present invention. In otherwords, the beacon message may or may not include all of the elements inneed/capability message 64 as illustrated in FIG. 7. By way of example,the beacon message could only include the peer ID 66 portion ofneed/capability message 64 in order to save bandwidth and power whentransmitting data. Thus, the first peer 20 transmits a beacon message,i.e., the identity of the first peer 20 as contained in peer ID 66, asan unsolicited periodic message independent of whether any otherelectronic device is within a close enough proximity to receive themessage.

Task 78A of FIG. 11 causes second peer 20 to perform an authorization ofthe identity message received from the first peer 20. If authorized toestablish a communications link as determined by task 80A, second peer20 sends or transmits an associate message as indicated by task 81 tofirst peer 20. Thus, second peer 20 acknowledges receipt of the identityof first peer 20 based on authorization of the second peer 20 tocommunicate with the first peer 20 by transmitting an associate messagefrom second peer 20. If not authorized to establish a communicationslink, no associate message is transmitted and second peer 20 returnsfrom task 80A (see FIG. 11) to task 60 (see FIG. 6).

The associate message sent by the second peer 20 to the first peer 20confirms that second peer 20 is authorized to communicate with firstpeer 20 based on the transmitted identity of the first electronicdevice. First peer 20 receives the associate message and moves from task61 to task 78B. Task 78B (also see task 78 in FIG. 6) causes first peer20 to determine whether authorization is granted for the first peer 20to establish communications with the second peer 20. If authorization isgranted then the first peer 20 moves from task 80B to task 63 (FIG. 11).Task 63 causes first peer 20 to send or transmit an associate confirmmessage to second peer 20. Thus, first peer 20 acknowledges both areceipt of the associate message from second peer 20 and a grantedauthorization of first peer 20 to communicate with second peer 20 bytransmitting an associate confirm message. When second peer 20 receivesthe associate confirm message in task 83, the two-way communicationslink between first peer 20 and second peer 20 is established.

At this point, a communication link has been initiated and establishedbetween the first and second electronic devices and they are ready tocommunicate additional information between themselves. Task 82 in FIG.11 corresponds with task 82 in FIG. 6, which causes an exchange of needsand capabilities between first peer 20 and second peer 20. The firstpeer 20 transmits its needs and capabilities to the second peer 20 andthe second peer 20 transmits its needs and capabilities to the firstpeer 20. A need of peer 20 is defined as a need for service. It may bethat the need for service is an operation that is desired to beperformed on the data of peer 20 but peer 20 is not capable ofperforming the desired operation. For example, it may be desired thatthe data be displayed but peer 20 does not have a display for viewingthe data. A capability of peer 20 is defined as a capability to performa service. It may be that the capability for service includes anoperation that peer 20 is capable of performing. For example, it may bedesired that the data in peer 20 be encrypted for security reasons andpeer 20 has an encryption circuit. The peer 20 with the encryptioncircuit has a capability of encrypting data that can be offered as anoperation to other peers without the encryption circuit.

FIG. 12 illustrates a first example whereby the capability addressableconnection process establishes communications between two peers 20,i.e., a computer 120 and a personal presence identifier 122. Personalpresence identifier 122 is a specific peer 20 such as an electronicwatch, an electronic wallet, a bracelet, a portable cellular phone, or apager that has the capability of establishing a communications protocolwith another peer 20, i.e., computer 120. When computer 120 and personalpresence identifier 122 reside within each others detection zone 28,they are interlinked via, for example, RF interconnections, representedas wireless communication links 26.

To initiate the establishment of the personal area network, computer 120and personal presence identifier 122 each execute query task 58 ofprocess 56 (FIG. 6). Task 58 determines that computer 120 and personalpresence identifier 122 have transmitted an unsolicited and periodicbeacon message in attempting to setup a connection and are residingwithin each others detection zone 28. Task 58 causes transmit andreceive section 38 (FIG. 2) to monitor wireless communication link 26 todetermine whether a signal compatible with a protocol being used bycommunications network 22 (FIG. 1) is received. Through a self-initiatedprocess, computer 120 and personal presence identifier 122 transmitassociate messages and associate confirm messages in establishing apersonal area network (see tasks described in FIG. 11).

Once the personal area network is established and computer 120 andpersonal presence identifier 122 are authorized to communicate with eachother, needs specification 70 and capability specification 72 ofneed/capability message 64 (FIG. 7) are exchanged. In other words,computer 120 transmits needs specification 70 and capabilityspecification 72 as the portion of need/capability message 64 of FIG. 7to personal presence identifier 122. Need table 74 (FIG. 8) containsexamples of items in needs specification 70 and capability table 76(FIG. 9) contains examples of items in capability specification 72 forcomputer 120. On the other hand, personal presence identifier 122transmits needs specification 70 and capability specification 72 as theportion of need/capability message 64 of FIG. 7 to computer 120. Needtable 74 (FIG. 8) contains examples of items in needs specification 70and capability table 76 (FIG. 9) contains examples of items incapability specification 72 for personal presence identifier 122.

By way of example, a need of computer 120 is a service that computer 120needs performed. The service may include a function that computer 120 isnot capable of performing or authorized to perform, such as providing apassword that enables or allows a user access to files, data, andprograms stored on computer 120. Thus, personal presence identifier 122establishes communications network 22 (FIG. 1) with computer 120 and inaddition, provides authorization that instructs computer 120 to have anactive keyboard and screen and provide access to user's computer files.Further, a capability of personal presence identifier 122 is a serviceor function that personal presence identifier 122 is capable ofperforming. By way of example, personal presence identifier 122 storesinformation on the user's computer home directories, font styles, files,etc., which is transferred from personal presence identifier 122 tocomputer 120 without user intervention. Tasks 104, 106 and 108 ofprocess 102 (FIG. 10) are performed to program computer 120 withpersonalization data 52 (FIG. 2) from personal presence identifier 122.During task 104, computer 120 gets personalization data 52 from theservice connection with personal presence identifier 122. Next, task 106translates the network compatible personalization data 52 into a formatappropriate for computer 120. As a result, computer 120 is programmedwith a particular user's personalization data whenever that user is inclose proximity to computer 120 and authorized to use computer 120,without requiring action on the user's part, and regardless of priorpersons who may have used computer 120.

By providing access to computer 120 when personal presence identifier122 is in close proximity allows computer security without the typing ofa password on computer 120. Thus, wireless communication link 26 isautomatically established when an authorized user with the personalpresence identifier 122 is within detection zone 28 of computer 120.Further, as long as computer 120 and personal presence identifier 122remain in close proximity, computer 120 remains active to the useridentified by personal presence identifier 122. However, computersecurity is further enhanced because wireless communication link 26between personal presence identifier 122 and computer 120 is broken whenpersonal presence identifier 122 is removed from the close proximitywith computer 120. Wireless communication link 26 is immediately brokenwhen the user with the personal presence identifier 122 leaves detectionzone 28 of computer 120.

FIG. 13 illustrates a second example whereby the capability addressableconnection process establishes communications between two peers 20,i.e., a door entry system 130 and a personal presence identifier 122.Door entry system 130 is an electronic device such as a doorbell systemthat has the communications protocol of peer 20. By way of example, doorentry system 130 is externally mounted at the front entry of aresidence. When door entry system 130 and personal presence identifier122 reside within each others detection zone 28, they are interlinkedvia, for example, RF interconnections, represented as wirelesscommunication link 26. For instance, a handicapped person or safetyconscience person wearing personal presence identifier 122 can establishthe personal area network without having to physically push thedoorbell.

To initiate the establishment of the personal area network, door entrysystem 130 and personal presence identifier 122 each execute query task58 of process 56 (FIG. 6). Task 58 determines that door entry system 130and personal presence identifier 122 are each attempting to setup aconnection by transmitting unsolicited and periodic beacon messages andeach resides within the others detection zone 28. Task 58 causestransmit and receive section 38 (FIG. 2) to monitor wirelesscommunication link 26 to determine whether a signal compatible with aprotocol being used by communications network 22 (FIG. 1) is received.Through a self-initiated process door entry system 130 and personalpresence identifier 122 transmit associate messages and associateconfirm messages in establishing a personal area network (see tasksdescribed in FIG. 11).

Once the personal area network is established and door entry system 130and personal presence identifier 122 are authorized to communicate witheach other, needs specification 70 and capability specification 72 ofneed/capability message 64 (FIG. 7) are exchanged. Door entry system 130and personal presence identifier 122 have several possible options whenoperating together. A first option is that door entry system 130 readspeer ID 66 (FIG. 7) of personal presence identifier 122 to determine theidentity of the person wearing personal presence identifier 122. Toenhance security of the residence, the identity of the person could thenbe displayed on a service-providing peer 20 within the residence whichis capable of displaying information received from door entry system130. Service-providing peer 20 would log the identity found in peer ID66 (FIG. 7) of each person having a personal presence identifier 122that attempts a setup connection via door entry system 130.

A second option involves receiving a note intended only for the personresiding at the resident. For instance, a delivery service may want toleave a private message explaining possible options after finding no oneat home. After establishing the identity of the delivery servicepersonnel who is wearing personal presence identifier 122, door entrysystem 130 could receive a message entered though personal presenceidentifier 122 by the delivery service personnel. The message would thenbe displayed on a service-providing peer 20 within the residence whichis capable of displaying information received from door entry system130.

A third option involves the home owner leaving a message for thedelivery service personnel that has a specific identification designatorprogrammed in the personal presence identifier 122. For instance, theresident may want to leave a private message with the delivery serviceafter establishing the identity of the person wearing personal presenceidentifier 122. By providing or receiving messages at a location nearthe entry of a residence, door entry system 130 enhances the security ofthe resident by allowing private messages to be communicated. A wirelesscommunication link 26 is automatically established when a user with thepersonal presence identifier 122 is within detection zone 28 of doorentry system 130. The identity of the user with the personal presenceidentifier 122 is available to the residence of the home serviced bydoor entry system 130.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an entryway system inaccordance with the present invention. The entryway system comprises afirst peer 20, in the form of the door entry system 130, preferablylocated near an entry door 320 of an enclosed area 322, such as a home,a building, a room, or a fenced area, to name a few examples. A guestwanting to enter the enclosed area 322 carries a second peer 20, in theform of the personal presence identifier 122, which becomes part of theentryway system when within wireless communication range of the doorentry system 130 through the first short-range wireless link 26. Thepersonal presence identifier 122 preferably includes a conventionaldisplay 304 and a conventional keyboard 306 for interfacing with theguest to generate commands and to communicate with an occupant of theenclosed area 322. It will be appreciated that, alternatively, thepersonal presence identifier 122 can include other user interfaces, suchas a microphone, a touch pad, and a speaker.

The door entry system 130 and the personal presence identifier 122 arearranged and programmed to establish a personal area network with oneanother when the personal presence identifier 122 is within wirelesstransmission range of the door entry system 130. The door entry system130 is also programmed to determine whether further communications withthe personal presence identifier 122 are authorized. The personalpresence identifier 122 and the door entry system 130 are also arrangedand programmed to exchange needs specifications and capabilityspecifications with one another after the door entry system 130 hasdetermined that further communications with the personal presenceidentifier 122 are authorized.

In one embodiment, the entryway system further comprises a doorbell 314coupled to the door entry system 130 for alerting the occupant of theenclosed area 322 when the personal presence identifier 122 hasindicated a need to ring the doorbell. The need to ring the doorbell ispreferably indicated in response to a keyboard command entered by theguest. The entryway system also preferably includes a third peer 20, inthe form of a service providing pier 318 available to the occupant ofthe enclosed area 322. The service-providing peer 318 preferablyincludes a conventional display 324 and a conventional keyboard 326 forinterfacing with the occupant to identify and communicate with theguest. It will be appreciated that, alternatively, the service-providingpeer 318 can include other user interfaces, such as a microphone, atouch pad, and a speaker. The service-providing peer 318 is preferablycoupled to the door entry system 130 by a second short-range wirelesslink 26. It will be appreciated that, alternatively, theservice-providing peer 318 can be coupled to the door entry system 130by a hardwire link, at the cost of losing portability of theservice-providing peer 318.

In another embodiment, the entryway system includes a conventionaldoor-operating device 312 electrically coupled to the door entry system130 and mechanically coupled to the entry door 320 for opening andclosing the entry door 320 in response to the door entry system 130. Inthis embodiment, the door entry system 130 is arranged and programmed toreceive a request from the guest through the personal presenceidentifier 122 to open the entry door 320. In response, the door entrysystem 130 and the door-operating device 312 cooperate to open the entrydoor 320, preferably after verifying that the guest is authorized toopen the entry door. It will be appreciated that authorization for theguest to open the entry door 320 can be either pre-programmed into thepersonal presence identifier 122 of the guest, or provided by theoccupant of the enclosed area 322 through the service-providing peer 318after the occupant has identified the guest. This embodiment isespecially advantageous when the guest is handicapped, for example, andmay have difficulty operating prior-art kick and/or push plates. It willbe appreciated that, alternatively, the personal presence identifier 122can be mechanically coupled to an object, e.g., a wheelchair, gurney,and the like, for identifying the object to the door entry system. Inthis case the object could, for example, open the door no matter who isaccompanying the object.

In yet another embodiment, the entryway system includes a lock 328coupled to the door entry system 130 for locking and unlocking the entrydoor 320. This embodiment is most advantageous in embodiments which donot include the door-operating device 312.

FIG. 15 is a process flow diagram for the entryway system in accordancewith the present invention. The flow diagram starts by waiting 221 foran event to occur. An event can be an “occupant event” originated by theoccupant of the enclosed area 322, or a “guest event” originated by theguest. When at step 221 an occupant event occurs, the flow moves to step222 to determine what kind of occupant event has occurred. When theevent is a program event, the flow moves to step 223. An example of aprogram event is the generation, by the occupant through the keyboard326 of the service-providing peer 318, of a note intended for aspecifically-identified guest, such as the XYZ delivery service. At step223 the door entry system 130 accepts and stores the new programming,e.g., the note for later presentation to the personal presenceidentifier 122 carried by the specifically-identified guest when thespecifically-identified guest arrives. The flow then returns to step 221to wait for another event. If, on the other hand, at step 222 the eventis a query event, e.g., “Who is ringing the doorbell?,” then the flowmoves to step 224 where the door entry system 130 returns the requestedinformation to the occupant through the display 324 of theservice-providing peer 318. The flow then returns to step 221 to waitfor another event.

When at step 221 a guest event occurs, the door entry system 130 logs225 the guest event in the memory 42 (FIG. 2) and then checks 226whether the guest is authorized to communicate. If not, the flow returnsto step 221 to await another event. If, on the other hand, at step 226the guest is authorized to communicate, then the flow proceeds to step227 where the door entry system 130 determines what kind of guest eventhas occurred. When the event is a command to ring the doorbell 314, theflow moves to step 228 where the door entry system 130 checks whetherthere is a message waiting for a specifically-identified guest, andfurther checks whether the specifically-identified guest is the guestcurrently attempting to ring the doorbell 314. If so, the door entrysystem 130 cooperates with the personal presence identifier 122 of theguest to deliver 229 the message. The door entry system 130 then logs232 the message as having been sent. The flow then returns to step 221.If, on the other hand, at step 228 no message is waiting for the guest,then the door entry system 130 rings 231 the doorbell 314, and logs 233the ring.

If, on the other hand, at step 227 the door entry system 130 determinesthat the guest event is a message left by the guest, then the door entrysystem 130 sends the message to the service-providing peer 318 fordisplay to the occupant, and logs 230 the message as having arrived. Theflow then returns to step 221. If, instead, at step 227 the guest eventis a request to perform a door event (selected from opening the door,locking the door, and unlocking the door), the door entry system 130checks 236 whether the guest is authorized to perform the door event. Ifso, the door entry system 130 performs the door event, logs the doorevent, and returns to step 221. If not, the door entry system 130 simplyreturns to step 221. It will be appreciated that, alternatively, whenthe guest is not initially authorized for performing the door event,before returning to step 221 the door entry system 130 can be programmedto send a message to the occupant identifying the guest and askingwhether the occupant wishes to authorize the guest to perform the doorevent. The door entry system 130 then handles the request according tothe response from the occupant. It will be further appreciated that theguest preferably is notified whenever the performance of the door eventhas been finally denied.

By now it should be appreciated that the present invention provides anentryway system for an enclosed area having a person designated as anoccupant, the entryway system using proximity-based short-range wirelesslinks. The entryway system advantageously allows a guest equipped with apersonal presence identifier to join the entryway system as an ad-hocmember of a wireless personal area network, in order to interact withthe entryway system and with an occupant of the enclosed area to gainentry and to communicate information.

Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possiblein light of the above teachings. Thus, it is to be understood that,within the scope of the appended claims, the invention can be practicedother than as specifically described herein above.

What is claimed is:
 1. An entryway system for an enclosed area having aperson designated as an occupant, the entryway system usingproximity-based short-range wireless links, the entryway systemcomprising: a door entry system located near an entry door; and apersonal presence identifier carried by a guest and coupled to the doorentry system by a short-range wireless link; wherein the door entrysystem and the personal presence identifier are arranged and programmedto establish a personal area network with one another when the personalpresence identifier is within wireless transmission range of the doorentry system, and wherein the personal presence identifier and the doorentry system are also arranged and programmed to exchange needsspecifications and capability specifications with one another afterestablishing the personal area network, each needs specification is alist of network needs currently experienced by a broadcasting entity andeach capability specification is a list of network capabilities that thebroadcasting entity may provide to other peers of the network.
 2. Theentryway system of claim 1, further comprising a doorbell coupled to thedoor entry system for alerting the occupant when the personal presenceidentifier has indicated a need to ring the doorbell.
 3. The entrywaysystem of claim 1, wherein the door entry system is further arranged andprogrammed to: log an attempt by the personal presence identifier toestablish communications with the door entry system.
 4. The entrywaysystem of claim 1, wherein the door entry system is also programmed todetermine, before exchanging needs specifications and capabilityspecifications, whether further communications with the personalpresence identifier are authorized.
 5. The entryway system of claim 1,wherein the personal presence identifier is mechanically coupled to anobject, and wherein the personal presence identifier is further arrangedand programmed to identify the object to the door entry system.
 6. Theentryway system of claim 1, further comprising a door-operating deviceelectrically coupled to the door entry system and mechanically coupledto the entry door for opening and closing the entry door in response tothe door entry system, wherein the door entry system is further arrangedand programmed to: receive a request from the guest through the personalpresence identifier to open the entry door; and open the entry door inresponse to the request.
 7. The entryway system of claim 6, wherein thedoor entry system is further arranged and programmed to: determine thatthe guest is authorized to enter the enclosed area, before opening theentry door.
 8. The entryway system of claim 1, further comprising aservice-providing peer available to the occupant and coupled to the doorentry system for communicating with the door entry system.
 9. Theentryway system of claim 8 wherein the service-providing peer includes adisplay, and wherein the door entry system is further arranged andprogrammed to identify the guest to the occupant through the display.10. An entryway system for an enclosed area having a person designatedas an occupant, the entryway system using proximity-based short-rangewireless links, the entryway system comprising: a door entry systemlocated near an entry door; a personal presence identifier carried by aguest and coupled to the door entry system by a short-range wirelesslink, the personal presence identifier including a keyboard; and aservice-providing peer available to the occupant and coupled to the doorentry system for communicating with the door entry system, the serviceproviding peer including a display; wherein the door entry system andthe personal presence identifier are arranged and programmed toestablish a peer-to-peer communication network with one another when thepersonal presence identifier is within wireless transmission range ofthe door entry system, wherein the personal presence identifier and thedoor entry system are also arranged and programmed to exchange needsspecifications and capability specifications with one another afterestablishing the personal area network, and wherein the door entrysystem is further arranged and programmed to: accept a message generatedby the guest through the keyboard, the message intended for theoccupant; and display the message to the occupant through the display.11. An entryway system for an enclosed area having a person designatedas an occupant, the entryway system using proximity-based short-rangewireless links, the entryway system comprising: a door entry systemlocated near an entry door; a personal presence identifier carried by aguest and coupled to the door entry system by a short-range wirelesslink; and a service-providing peer available to the occupant and coupledto the door entry system for communicating with the door entry system,the service-providing peer including a keyboard; and wherein the doorentry system and the personal presence identifier are arranged andprogrammed to establish a peer-to-peer communication network with oneanother when the personal presence identifier is within wirelesstransmission range of the door entry system, wherein the personalpresence identifier and the door entry system are also arranged andprogrammed to exchange needs specifications and capabilityspecifications with one another after establishing the personal areanetwork, wherein the door entry system is further arranged andprogrammed to: accept and store a note generated by the occupant throughthe keyboard, the note intended for a specifically-identified guest, andwherein the personal presence identifier carried by thespecifically-identified guest includes a display, and wherein the doorentry system is further arranged and programmed to: determine that thepersonal presence identifier carried by the specifically-identifiedguest has established a communication link with the door entry system;and deliver the note to the specifically-identified guest through thedisplay when the communication link has been established.
 12. Theentryway system of claim 1, wherein the list of network needs of one ofthe personal presence identifier and the door entry system is comparedto the list of network capabilities of the other of the personalpresence identifier and the door entry system to determine whether thereis at least one match between the lists.
 13. An entryway system for anenclosed area having a person designated as an occupant, the entrywaysystem using proximity-based short-range wireless links, the entrywaysystem comprising: a door entry system located near an entry door; and apersonal presence identifier carried by a guest and coupled to the doorentry system by a short-range wireless link, wherein the door entrysystem and the personal presence identifier are arranged and programmedto establish a peer-to-peer communication network with one another whenthe personal presence identifier is within wireless transmission rangeof the door entry system, and wherein the personal presence identifierand the door entry system are also arranged and programmed to exchangeneeds specifications and capability specifications with one anotherafter establishing the peer-to-peer communication network.
 14. Theentryway system of claim 12, wherein the personal presence identifier iscapable initiating a connection with the door entry system, and the doorentry system is capable initiating a connection with the personalpresence identifier.